This invention relates to a composition and method for rejuvenating polymeric materials, especially those comprised of vinyl resins such as vinyl siding.
Vinyl resins, such as poly(vinyl chloride), and vinyl chloride copolymers are useful for a variety of products such as siding, windows, door panels, fences, decks, pipes and cables, and automobile parts. These resins, however, are susceptible to deterioration by heat, weathering or ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light causes these resins to discolor, chalk, loose gloss, and even to become brittle leading to possible deformation of the product made from the vinyl resin.
Attempts at solving this problem have been made. For example, ultraviolet light stabilizers have been added to the polymeric compositions that are used to prepare the products. The addition of these stabilizers, however, has not proven to be entirely satisfactory. To begin with, the addition of these stabilizers increases product and manufacturing costs. Further, many stabilizers have not provided sufficient ultraviolet protection and therefore the problems of ultraviolet degradation persist. Further, this approach is proactive and therefore provides no benefit or assistance once the degradation occurs.
Also, where polymeric materials, such as vinyl resins, are employed to make products that are subjected to continuous environmental exposure, such as in the case of vinyl siding, the products suffer from the build-up of mold, mildew, algae, grease, and stains from various environmental sources. Conventional approaches to cleaning these surfaces typically include the use of water and common household detergents. In some instances, expensive high-pressure power washers are employed for this purpose. Other approaches include the use of bleach or other chlorine-based materials. Besides the fact that these approaches do not always provide satisfactory results, they can be labor intensive and expensive. Furthermore, if the deterioration of the surface is such that the surface loses its smooth appearance, these methods can not correct that change and in fact often make the situation worse.
Because there are numerous products made from polymeric materials, including vinyl resins, plastics and rubbers, and these products continue to suffer from attack by heat, ultraviolet light or other environmental exposure, a need remains to rejuvenate the surfaces of these products.
In general the present invention provides a method for rejuvenating a vinyl resin surface, the method comprising applying a composition to the surface, where the composition includes at least one organic solvent compound that has a solubility parameter (xcex4) of from about 8.0 to about 10.6 (cal/cm3)xc2xd.
The present invention also includes a method for rejuvenating the surface of vinyl siding, the method comprising applying a composition to the surface of the vinyl siding, where the composition comprises from about 20 to about 90 percent by weight of an organic solvent component that is an ether, a heterocyclic ether, an aldehyde, a ketone, an ester, a chlorinated hydrocarbon, an amide, a cyclic amide, a compound that is both an ether and an ester, or a mixture thereof.
The present invention further includes a composition for rejuvenating and cleaning the surface of weathered vinyl siding, the composition comprising applying a composition to the surface of the vinyl siding, where the composition comprises from about 20 to about 90 percent by weight of an organic solvent component that is an ether, a heterocyclic ether, an aldehyde, a ketone, an ester, a chlorinated hydrocarbon, an amide, a cyclic amide, a compound that is both an ether and an ester, or a mixture thereof.
The present invention also includes a method for rejuvenating a weathered polymeric surface, the method comprising applying a composition to the weathered surface where the composition includes at least one organic solvent having a solubility parameter (xcex4) within about 1.8 (cal/cm3)xc2xdof the solubility parameter of the polymeric surface.
The composition and method of this invention advantageously removes or transforms the chalky surface that develops on polymeric surfaces that are exposed to sunlight and other environmental conditions. Additionally, the color, luster, and gloss of the surface can be restored. When the composition of this invention is employed according to the methods of the invention, rejuvenating the surface of a polymeric product requires only minimal labor, minimal preparation time, and minimal dry time. The composition and method of this invention also advantageously remove dirt, mold, mildew, and other biogrowths from the surfaces of polymeric products. Although the preferred methods for using the composition of this invention include rejuvenating vinyl products, especially vinyl siding, the methods and composition of this invention can be extended to rejuvenate other polymeric surfaces including both plastic and rubber surfaces.